Reexamining the Windows Live Messenger to Skype Transition

Skype posted a useful slideshow today that explains the transition from Windows Live Messenger to Skype. Taken in context with recent improvements to the Skype desktop client that appear to fix the issues I experienced previously, it’s possible that this transition will be smoother than expected.

Additionally, Skype’s Shana Pearlman notes the following benefits for Messenger users transitioning to Skype in a post to Skype’s Big Blog:

Skype allows you to send IMs just like Messenger and you also get free voice and video calls!

Your Messenger contacts will automatically be added to Skype.

Setting up new lists to group your contacts together is quick and easy.

You can ‘favorite’ your friends and bump them to the top of your contacts list.

Our Animated Emoticons are fun, and there are tons to choose from!

Sharing is seamless – drop a file or photo, right into your chat.

All of your chats will be stored on your homepage under ‘Recent’ for safe keeping.

Obviously, Microsoft’s decision to combine the Messenger and Skype networks and use the superior Skype brand makes plenty of sense. Indeed, we often criticize Microsoft for having too many similar and nearly identical products and services, so this consolidation should ultimately be beneficial to everyone who uses either network. (Indeed, future federation with Microsoft’s corporate-oriented Lync technologies is further exciting.)

Discuss this Article 10

I can only imagine how busy things must be for Skype and the various MS ecosystems.

There is Messenger in Xbox live that will have to be replaced, in WP8 (not sure about 7.x), the chat client in Windows 8 Metro, and of course the desktop version.

If this is combining the two services, perhaps that is why android and IOS devices have received updates for features WP8 doesn't have yet.... They want to release a new WP8 client in a months time instead of a number of updates?

i have that same question as to what will happen with messaging within the xbox 360, id imagine skype will integrated in someway, but not now, since that wouldnt come till the fall with a dashboard update

"Indeed, we often criticize Microsoft for having too many similar and nearly identical products."

You can say that again, back in 2005, when TechNet Flash introduced Microsoft Communicator (now Lync) I emailed its editor and asked to clarify its difference with five other Microsoft personal communication products. He was amazed to discover there were that many. I only wish I didn't have to use two different email clients at a time.

So many fails. My version did not match the one in the slide show. So from Skype, I checked for updates only to be told I was running the most current version. I had to go to the Skype site to download the version that matched the slide show.

You still can't add windows messenger contact from the application. Only other Skype contacts. If you go to the add contact dialog and type in the email of the messenger contact you want to add, Skype won't find it. You latterly have to log into you outlook.com mail box and add the messenger contact in the "People" section. Evan than, it is not clear how to do it.

What I find frustrating is that there are still Messenger contacts and Skype contacts... when are they just going to be the same thing?

And what is happening with the Messenger Win8 app and the Skype Win 8 app? Or the same for WP8? I think it is great that they are combined, but they don't really seem combined except for the desktop application. Even that is not entirely combined.

Paul - can you see if you find out what the plans are to get the XBox 360 Kinect Video client to work with Skype, as it has stopped working since the change over from Messenger.
Lots of people (myself included) brought multiple XBox Live Gold subscriptions so they could use this feature. The change to Skype has broken it.

So how is this going to work on my Windows Phone 8? I don't really ever get skype messages on that thing. The only guaranteed messages are Text, Messenger, and Facebook. Will skype messages come in through the messaging app on my phone, or only through skype? What about on my Windows 8 Surface? Will I no longer be able to use the Messaging app? How will skype work with it?

If anyone's interested in a good MSN alternative, look up QQ International, it's very similar to MSN and better in some aspects. It allows full customisation, including smileys and MSN-esque group chats.